Disney+ To Launch In 3 Asian Regions And Expand Its Japan Content

The Walt Disney Company is going strong as at the company’s Q3 earnings call, it was announced that its streaming service, Disney+, will launch in South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan in November 2021.

Disney+ Japan will also expand to house additional Star-branded general entertainment content in October 2021. The company mentioned on the call that more information regarding the launches will be available soon.

The streamers beat analyst estimates and had an additional 13 million subscribers, making the total of 116 million, 1 million more than what was predicted.

Luke Kang, the president of The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific, stated,

The response towards Disney+ across Asia Pacific has exceeded our expectations, as consumers seek diverse entertainment content and are drawn to our portfolio of brands and franchises.
We are pleased with the subscriber growth and partnerships forged in markets and look forward to engaging with more consumers across the region, through unparalleled storytelling, creative excellence, and cutting-edge content delivery.

Luke Kang

Disney+ has grown across 61 countries and in 21 languages covering North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. It is currently available in the US, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand.

Vivek Couto, executive director of regional consultancy Media Partners Asia, added that the three new Asia launches and the Japan expansion ‘are important catalysts for a number of things,’

Disney+ has helped grow the SVOD category meaningfully wherever they have launched or added the Star GE brand across Asia Pacific over the past year.

Including higher ARPU subscriber growth, material investment into premium Korean storytelling and Japanese live-action, as well as a real SVOD window for Disney’s entertainment franchises for the first time, especially in South Korea.

Vivek Couto

The streaming service has been on top of the app store charts in Thailand since its launch on June 30 this year, and in Indonesia and Malaysia, it has quickly become a leading SVOD service. In India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, the streaming service is branded as Disney Plus Hotstar.

Netflix currently has a stronghold in South Korea, where local streamers Tving, Waave, Coupang, and Watcha can also present a heavy competition. This year might also mark HBO Max and Apple TV Plus’ release in the region.